The Crooked Lake Hotel in Sand Lake, Rensselaer County, NY – now Old Daley on Crooked Lake – began in the early 1800s as a stage coach stop, Philip Upham’s tavern, along the plank road from Albany to points east. The building burned in 1850 and was rebuilt by James Mosher. In 1881, it was bought by the Brown family and became Brown’s Crooked Lake House.
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute used Brown’s as a site for summer survey programs and it was “filled to the brim” for a month with up to 80 engineering students.
But Brown’s most famous guest was Theodore Roosevelt, who, as Governor of New York, would bring his family to Crooked Lake for the summer and commute back-and-forth to the Capitol in Albany as needed.
In a 1969 Times-Union column, Edgar Van Olinda wrote: “As a matter of record, [the hotel] was one of the last places the vice president visited before he went to Washington to become president of the United States following the tragic assassination of President McKinley in Buffalo, N. Y.”
The Minahan brothers leased what was then called the Wendell Inn in 1905 and purchased it a year later. They hosted Eleanor Roosevelt for lunch when Franklin D. Roosevelt was Governor.
Alpheus Winbert “Al” Coon, Jr. and wife Theresa acquired Crooked Lake in 1935. Al, ever the engineer, set about to upgrade, expand, renovate and modernize the place.
A May 1932 Troy Times article remarked about a newly added Dance Palace “constructed so that cooling breezes from Crooked Lake blow through it at all times, making it one of the most comfortable as well as one of the most attractive places to enjoy an evening’s dancing during the warm summer months.”
The newly re-christened Crooked Lake Hotel became a popular site for the big bands of the era in programs beamed across the country on radio; among them Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Les Brown (and His Band of Renown), Benny Goodman, and Guy Lombardo. Newspaper ads by the local Musicians Union noted that only union orchestras were employed. The basement rathskeller was a speakeasy.
A motel was added across the street around 1955. A year later, fire destroyed the garage opposite the hotel. Thankfully, firefighters were able to protect surrounding structures, including the motel units, from damage; loss was confined to the garage and some vehicles and equipment inside.
In 1967, fire broke out in the kitchen during a fundraising dinner; damage was minor, but one firefighter was slightly injured.
An enclosed pool for year-round swimming was added in the early 1960s. It was removed years later due to extensive storm damage. Well into the 1970s, Crooked Lake was a popular restaurant, motel and event venue, hosting vacationing families, weddings, parties, and proms.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were regular guests in the early 1960s, traveling from New York by seaplane and secretly ensconced in the “remote country” hotel.
Crooked Lake was subsequently acquired by Dalmar Tifft and Mark Hammond and later by Paul Vincent before becoming Old Daley’s on Crooked Lake in 2010. It’s been renovated again and has become a premier upstate venue for parties and weddings, and dining.
Sand Lake Historical Society Gala
Old Daley’s on Crooked Lake hosted The Sand Lake Historical Society’s 50th Anniversary “Super Gala,” on Thursday, May 16, 2024. The event featured a full dinner buffet, cash bar, dessert and coffee and tea. The theme was “Come as We Were” and attendees were encouraged to dress-up as a Sand Lake resident (or visitor) from any time in our history. Attendees could be a mill-worker, a farmer, a gangster, a trolley-conductor, a vacationer, as they were in high school, or “as they are in 2024.”
Old Daley’s is located at 2339 NY Route 43, in Sand Lake, NY.
The author of this article Peter Finn is the President of the Sand Lake Historical Society.
Illustrations, from above: Minahan’s Wendell Inn (Crooked Lake Hotel), 1914; Crooked Lake Hotel in the 1920s or 1930s; and the Crooked Lake Hotel in the 1950s (images courtesy Sand Lake Historical Society).
I’ve attended a few events at the hotel over the years. When I was very young. in the early 60’s, I attended a cousin’s wedding reception held at the hotel. The thought that Liz & Richard might have been there is remarkable.
My Uncle, Alpheus W. Coon Jr owned and renovated this hotel between the 1940’s – 1960’s.
I was married on August 10 1968 and we had our reception at the Crooked Lake Inn. I recall the numerous stuffed animals in the reception center. Prior to this we would often swim in the pools in the winter. I have great memories of the Inn.
My Father, William A Gross played the Vibes in most of the bands/orchestras You listed during the Big Band era. He played there for 21 years without missing a gig. (Excluding Military Deployment) He also had his own band, ‘The Bill Gross Orchestra’. As you mentioned, many of the performances were aired live on the Radio. We have recordings on real to real that were made at the Radio Stations during the live broadcasts.
My Dad remained an active musician until He died at age 82.
As an RPI student in the early 1960s, I was part of a group that returned from Christmas break a few days early so we could celebrate NewYear’s Eve (1962, 1963) at the Crooked Lake Hotel. Glad to know it is still thriving, albeit with a new name. Will try to visit in 2026, if the temperature ever gets above freezing!